The Dead Withheld

by L.D. Lewis

MEET DIZZY

Private investigator.

Blues enthusiast.

Deadwalker witch.



In this sapphic paranormal neo-noir, follow Dizzy's exploits in the neon-drenched desert city of San Guin as a break in the cold case of her wife's murder leads to her stepping on the toes of some ambitious demons.







"Filled with hot succubi girlfriends, adorably damned henchmen, and soul-sucking demons, this is a must read for fans of wounded, badass, lesbian investigators."

-Suzan Palumbo, author of Countess and Skin Thief



"A perfect noir infused with magic, secrets, and all the tantalizing trappings of a night out in the underworld."

-Ladz, author of Ice Upon a Pier



"At turns terrifying, explosive, joyous, and bittersweet, Lewis's novella of ghosts, demons, and the damned truly has a beating heart of humanity at its core."

-Martin Cahill, author of Audition For The Fox

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery Thriller, Adult, Mystery

82 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 30, 2025

About the author

L. D. Lewis (she/her) is an editor, publisher, and Shirley Jackson award-nominated writer of speculative fiction. She serves as a founding creator and Project Manager for the World Fantasy and Hugo Award-winning FIYAH Literary Magazine. She also serves as the founding Director of (Hugo-nominated) FIYAHCON, Researcher for the (also award-winning) LeVar Burton Reads podcast, and pays the bills as the Director of Programs and Operations for Lambda Literary. She once chaired a Nebula Conference and Tech Directed a Nebula Award Ceremony (but hasn’t quite won a Nebula), and she runs the Ignyte Awards alongside Suzan Palumbo. She is the author of A Ruin of Shadows (Dancing Star Press, 2018) and her published short fiction and poetry includes numerous appearances in online publications, as well as Scholastic and Neon Hemlock anthologies, and Jordan Peele’s Out There Screaming. She lives in Georgia on perpetual deadline, with her partner, two cats, a coffee habit, and an impressive LEGO build collection. Visit ldlewiswrites.com to learn more.

Reviews

[Siavahda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this so much, but the prose feels awkward and the writing rhythm is very jarring – I was constantly wishing the author had added more commas, because there’s a lot of long sentences that fall flat because there’s no breaks in them. And the phrasing was semi-constantly very awkward.

Examples, so you can decide for yourself if the prose will bother you;

“Evening, friend,” she greeted the dead patron in respect.

This phrasing is very awkward. In respect?

She knew better than to reach for Lonnie’s hand, to try and touch her or she may disappear.

Given that this is written in past-tense, shouldn’t ‘may’ be ‘might’? And to my ear, it needs a comma after ‘touch her’.

Dizzy fled the stage as a new pitch grew in her ears. She crossed the dining room to the bar in the back and the pitch grew louder until it was clearly discernible as a scream.

Again, ‘clearly discernable’ is such an awkward way to phrase what you mean here!

Her eyes were white like the dead always were.

That doesn’t make sense; you mean ‘like the eyes of the dead always were’, I think? Or ‘like the dead’s always were’, I think that’d work too.

But if these quotes don’t bother you and you think I’m bonkers, then please go ahead because the protagonist and premise of this novella are VERY cool. It’s only the writing that bothered me.

[Bogi Takács]

I really liked A Ruin of Shadows and was happy to see another awesome novella from L.D. Lewis! This is a supernatural noir murder mystery with sapphic themes and there is also a nonbinary character.

In the fictional city of San Guin, Dizzy is a private investigator, blues singer and necromancer whose girlfriend was murdered several years ago by a serial killer who was never brought to justice. Dizzy cannot move on emotionally until she gets justice, and preferably in a violent way. She is both sympathetically portrayed and absolutely an antihero.

I loved the worldbuilding here - so rich, but yet not overbearing. We have all sorts of different magic, ancient vampires, souls bound to dolls, succubi, and more. It's hard to believe this is a novella under 100 pages. I also liked the investigation, it's something different, but in the best possible way (without spoilers, I can definitely see where the inspiration came from).

I would love to see this become a series, I think it's also set up that way with possible recurrent major characters, locations and so on. I went to look and the Unfettered Hexes anthology also has a Dizzy story, so that'll need to be my next stop :)
___
Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library purchase request (thank you for filling it!)

Find me elsewhere: My Patreon | My Bluesky account

[E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much like Off-time Jive by A.Z. Louise (also from Neon Hemlock), The Dead Withheld pulls you into a magical world filled with cunning detectives and steamy lust. Dizzy is on the trail of her dead lover, confronting both the living and the dead in her efforts to understand what happened and where her ghost may yet be. Lewis crafts a world you can feel on your skin.

[Kevin L · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent supernatural noir sapphic novella.

The world building by Lewis is so well done - by just giving the reader oblique glimpses into San Guin enables us to build a dark world with danger and intrigue waiting down every alley, pocket bar, and the strongholds of the rich and powerful.

I loved Dizzy and really hope we’ll get another excursion to San Guin’s sinister districts.

[Astra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish this book was longer. I love a book that requires my attention because everything is new and fresh and I couldn't draw on previous assumptions or even a built in frame of reference. The world-building is vingt sur vingt.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh look, another Neon Hemlock. Am I finally catching up on all of the novellas that have been piling up in my electronic TBR? Yes I am!

I love it when folks play with the hardboiled detective story, and make it way more interesting than 'morose middle aged white man who drinks too much and investigates sad crimes.' In this case, we have 'morose unclear-aged woman who drinks too much and investigates sad crimes' - who can also see ghosts (not entirely unusual in her town) and summon them, occasionally has to deal with demons, is in a friends-with-benefits relationship with Carmen, a demon running a bordello... and got into the PI business in an attempt to find the killer of her lover, now dead several years.

Dizzy is a wonderful character. Once a musician, she's given that up to be a PI, and she is currently fairly messed up by the unanswered questions in her life; and she has done some questionable things in trying to resolve them - violence, and holding souls captive, to name just two. She's also a devoted and fierce friend, honest about her failings, and has the sort of drive to get answers that can make or destroy a person.

Exactly when and where the story is set is opaque - there's mention of "the Former United States", but if there are clues about exactly where this is set, this Australian could not find them. But that's irrelevant to the story, because it's not about technology it's about magic. The story also doesn't care about politics; it cares about love, and revenge, and finding your way after you've been lost for a long time.

Again: it's Neon Hemlock. High quality.

[2TReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a good read. It says something about an author who can take you through grief and determination against a background of demons, succubi, vampires, ghosts, and magicians under 100 pages and you feel that you've had a full story experience.

Follow Dizzy as she relentlessly hunts down a murderer while juggling a new relationship and the emotional baggage weighing her down. It's fast-paced, interesting, and darkly thrilling.

[Phoebe Pineda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a lot! Dizzy's a very refreshing take on a neo-noir protagonist, the kind of character I've wanted to see for a while. The worldbuilding and magic system are so well-crafted, I could've stayed in San Guin forever. A unique and compelling mystery that unfolds organically, and I loved the more heartfelt/vulnerable moments. Thanks to Neon Hemlock for the ARC - definitely plan on revisiting this one.

[Shinyfluff · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent! character and vibe from teh first sentence was so strong. love the multiple new magics and world-building. loooove. dearly hoping to see more of Dizzy and Carmen in the future

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novella too short to develop the characters. I liked the premise but it just lacked fleshing out.

[Venneh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is like a good iced cocktail in the summer - it goes down smooth and quick, gives you a fantastyic taste of a world, and leaves you wanting more. I absolutely love Dizzy as a character, and the brief adventure we get to join her on gives us a taste of the world. Some real great laughs, too. I hope we see more of her!